personaldnd_wikifandomcom-20200213-history
Bearfolk
Strong, stubborn and powerful, bearfolk are a race of fierce tribal warriors. The bipedal blood relative of their ursine ancestors, bearfolk live in small tribes or clans of about a dozen deep in forests, caves and sometimes arctic wastelands where they are able to hunt and kill their prey with vicious ferocity. Their use of weapons and keen battle sense give them an edge over their unevolved kin, and are often a formidable foe. Protective Nature Bearfolk have strong parental instincts and are willing to fight to protect their clans and families. To a bearfolk blood is thicker than water, and few situations would result in a bearfolk abandoning their clan and joining a life of adventure. Powerful and protective they tend to be wary of outsiders but make very loyal allies, though they rarely side with large kingdoms or armies due to their disinterest politics. As strong in heart as in muscle, bearfolk have a strong natural parental instinct. In their families, both parents are expected to provide and care for their children (known as 'cubs') as best they can. Uncertain Origin While bearfolk have only been around for a few generations their origin is surround in mystery. Most believe that they are the result of malevolent druidic rituals; The bearfolk, it is said, upon achieving true sentinence did not obey, killed their masters and escaped. In bearfolk families gathered around campfires, they tell scary tales of evil druid pacts and monsters that will come to take children who do not perform simple chores or behave, though no bearfolk truly knows where they came from. Other theories of bearfolk origins are less credible, such as their role as native guardians in the Feywilds escaped to the Material Plane after a war, or that they owe their creation to a pact made by an army of great warriors, given the bodies and strength of bears to dominate their enemies. Intelligent or scholarly bearfolk often wish to discover this detail. Blood Ties A traditional bearfolk tribe consists of one alpha male, the strongest, as a leader with several females. Young bearfolk who wish to become alpha must battle in honorable unarmed combat to claim the throne - otherwise the youth of the clan usually show great respect to their elders. Bearfolk clans tend to have tough, intimidating names like First Tooth, Furious Swipes, and Bloody Roar, and often use simple symbols that they scratch into tree trunks to designate their territory. Veteran travellers who recognize these symbols when travelling know to deviate their course to avoid getting attacked by aggressive tribes. Most often, a bearfolk leaves as a result of disgracing their family in battle or breaking code, though many bearfolk found in cities credit their abandonment to a family massacre, being lost, forest fires or other causes that physically ejected them from their home. Bearfolk away from their homes are often drawn to a life of adventure as a result of their natural instinct and origin in the wilds. Tradition and Honor Traditionally, bearfolk tend not to be religious creatures, though all owe faith to Grizzus, their patron god of Bears. While clans differ vastly in beliefs and ideals, all owe allegiance to Grizzus and his ideals of clan law and leadership. Tribes and families of bearfolk are often found fighting and feuding, although complex politics and tmany of the concepts of ownership, such as money, are unfamiliar customs to them. Grizzus, who bearfolk believes watches and guides them through play and battle, often contacts Elders or shaman within tribes as well as particularly righteous or powerful warriors. They claim to have seen visions of their god in their sleep designating them a specific task, and it is not uncommon for a member of the tribe to leave in pursuit of this mission, which is a sign of honor. Bearfolk Names Bearfolk names are derived from their grizzly origin, and therefore have strong sounds and syllables. Young bearfolk also usually have a pet name that they are known as throughout their tribe, and are often referred to as such affectionately by their elders and spouses even as they reach adulthood. Others who refer to them in this way are sure to raise a bearfolk's ire. Childhood Nicknames: Butterball, Cub. Flatear, Fuzzy, Prickles, Roughnose, Scruffy, Southpaw, Tiny Male Names: Argus, Brutin, Dale, Duggar, Gorf, Kidas, Mars, Orwin Pantg, Slark, Tusk, Zalk Female Names: Alici, Brin, Connie, Flore, Mazie, Namina, Varen, Vixen, Tribbi, Willow Clan Names: Bloody Roar, Cut Masters, Dust Burners, Final Bark, First Tooth, Furious Swipes, Proud Claw, Sharp Paw, Tough Hide, Warrior Clan, Wild Boar, Yellow Fur Bearfolk Traits Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1, and your Constitution score increases by 2. Age. Bearfolk reach maturity by age 11 and live for around 70 years. Alignment. Their prowess and rashness in battle makes bearfolk lean towards a chaotic alignment. Size. Bearfolk grow to be about 7 feet tall when they reach adulthood. They are massive and hulking in form, weighing around 400 to 500 pounds. Your size is Medium. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. Keen Smell. You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. Bearfolk Weapon Training. You have had to defend your home from invaders and hunters. You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, greataxe, greatclub and warhammer. Claws. Your mighty arms are packed with sharp claws. When you make an unarmed strike with your claws and hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 2d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the normal bludgeoning damage for an unarmed strike. Ancestral Summon. Every bearfolk is given a few bones of their ancestors to aid them in life and to pass them on to their next of kin. As an action, you can throw the bones of your ancestors onto the ground in an unoccupied space within 10 feet, causing the bones to clatter and rise into the air, forming a misty, spiritual version of one of your ancestors. The ancestor lasts for 1 hour, until they are reduced to 0 hit points, or until you dismiss them as a bonus action. If the bones used to summon your ancestors are ever lost or broken, you must travel back to where your ancestors lay, and beg for their bones to be shared. Your ancestor is friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for your ancestor, which has its own turn. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don't issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions. The DM has the ancestor’s statistics. You may give your ancestor weapons and armor that you are proficient in for it to wield and wear; however it can’t activate magical items. Languages. You can speak, read and write Common, Sylvan, and Bearic. Bearic is a primitive language of growls and barks most often used to quickly convey details while hunting and to intimidate. It was no written form and is only spoken by bears and bearfolk. Subrace. You choose your bearfolk subrace depending on where your bearfolk character was raised. You can choose either Black Bearfolk, Brown Bearfolk, Panda Bearfolk, Polar Bearfolk, Owl Bearfolk, or Koala Bearfolk. Black Bearfolk The smallest and most timid of the bearfolk varieties, black bears tend to be smarter and make up clans of single families in caves or other Underdark. They mostly keep to themselves and protect their lairs and territories without moving about, but will happily interact with others of their kind. Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1. Darkvision. Your time below ground means you see well, even in low light. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Stealthy. '''You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill. Brown Bearfolk Fiercely protective, honorable and strong, and usually friendly to outsiders, the most common of the bearfolk variants have a strong protective instinct and make up large clans with a lax hierarchy. They often live nomadically, moving from forest to forest to cycle their prey and avoid retaliation from nearby developed settlements. '''Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1. Tracker. You add your proficiency in bonus to Wisdom (Survival) checks made when tracking in a forest. Protector. When an ally within 10 feet of you must make a Strength saving throw, you may choose to have the effect target you in their place. This feature can only be used twice every short rest or long rest. Koala Bearfolk From distant lands to untamed island, the connection of koalas to the bearfolk lineae is often in dispute. They still carry the ferocity of the race however, despite their smaller size. Forming small nomadic communities in the trees in their notoriously hot and dangerous homeland, they drop from low hanging branches to surprise and attack their prey which is often many times their size. The rumors of their cannibalistic nature are unfounded, though not entirely dismissed. Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1. Size. Koala bears are much smaller than their common relatives. Your size is small. Nimble Climber. You have a climbing speed of 30 feet. Bear Drop. When falling onto another creature, you only take half falling damage and gain advantage on that attack roll, if attacking. Owl Bearfolk Despite the theories behind the owlbear, you live as all others bear except for the differences in appearance. Owlbears have feathers that cover the thick, shaggy coat of its bearlike body, large owl-like beak, and limpid pupils of its great round eyes that stare furiously from its owlish head. Owlbears are ferocious and consummate predators who keep to their dens. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1. Keen Sight. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. Owlbear Claws. Your claws are sharper than other bears, granting you a climbing speed equal to your movement speed. Panda Bearfolk Panda bear tribes and customs are largely unknown and foreign, partly as a result of their rarity. As spiritual as their notorious appetite, they have a long history and a keen sense of wisdom, preferring to keep out of the eyes of civilized society. Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1. Tradition. You have proficiency with monk weapons. Spiritual Communication. You have the ability to cast the spell speak with plants using Wisdom as your spellcasting modifier. Using this feature, you are only able to communicate with the plants, not command, move or control them. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until the end of a long rest. Polar Bearfolk The rarest of the bearfolk, polar bears have thick winter hides, tend to be very aggressive to outsiders and have a very large territories. During harsh winters, polar bears tribes raid humanoid settlements at their weakest for food and supplies when their natural prey runs low. For this reason, especially in colder regions, polar bears are usually regarded as hostile. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1. Winter Hide. You have resistance to cold damage. You are also able to withstand much colder climates than most other races, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. White Fur. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in snowy terrain.